Chains are not a fashion statement

Now that I have my political remarks out of the way....

Lately, God has been dealing with me about something and it has lay a little dormant in my heart for a while and was stirred again in church this morning. I may have discussed it here before, but indulge me a bit more please.

The Bible says that before we come to know Christ as our Savior we are slaves to sin. Think about what a slave is, especially in the day of Jesus and even just a hundred years ago or so. A slave usually was bound in some fashion, wearing steel chains and cuffs around his ankles and wrists. Slaves were beaten to encourage work and to punish laziness. Underfed, unappreciated, mocked, ridiculed and threatened with their life, I can only imagine that the souls of these people were filled with hopelessness and even utter disdain for their own lives. In our country's history, when slavery was abolished, the chains and cuffs were unlocked and for the first time, people of a different race could see the light of freedom ahead. Many dark days still loomed for these people (please read The Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Taylor for insight), at least the chains that had once bound their physical bodies were gone.

God has been dealing with me about my own slavery. I was great at constructing it. Sin upon sin, lies upon lies, all as strong as iron weighing me down, wrapped around my limbs controlling my movements and how I felt and viewed the world. With one Name, those chains broke apart allowing me to walk in freedom. What a feeling!! A whole world to run and jump, but at the same time, a desire to please my Hero with my life. But, as I ran I noticed the world hadn't changed. Only me and others who had met my Hero and soon, whether it was to fit in or because it just felt comfortable, I put on those chains again. It was very hard to wear them now though, way harder than before. The locks were broken and when I walked, they would fall and hit uncalloused skin and make new wounds.

Lately, God has been asking me this: Why would you choose to wear chains when you are free? I can say without a doubt, that if I were to offer the heavy chains of an American slave to them to wear after they had been freed, they would laugh at me and run the other way. Why do I have a different response? When Jesus, my Hero spoke freedom in my life, he broke the chains of fear, condemnation, death, self-loathing, hate and sin. But, everyday, I pick them back up. Fear over flying....fear that another person I love will be taken from me....condemnation for my challenges and short comings.....death of dreams and of my purpose in Christ....self-loathing that turns into reverse pride where I am of no use in Christ's cause....hate of others that I don't know or aren't like me.....sin....over and over again...sin. The Bible says in John 8:36, "If the Son has set you free then you are free indeed". I'm going to post this verse all over my house to remind me that chains don't work when they've been broken and that although true freedom is out of style and chains are in, I bear a new mark of forgiveness and new life in Christ. I challenge you too, to examine this week what chains you have been freed from and ones you keep picking back up. If you've never met the Hero who can and will break your slave chains, send me a comment and I would be overjoyed to introduce you....

Photos as Promised

Our Forever Girl is FOUR!!!!

Today is a special day. Our little angel is FOUR today! I really can't believe it and am happy and sad at the same time. I am amazed at how she is maturing everyday and for the first time, I really see a glimpse of our future young adult with her own special personality. We are so blessed to have her as our own and to share in the joy of watching her grow! I love you my Forever Girl!

Ironically, the verse of the day on the right side of my blog today is Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do." What a verse for today to remind me of how God has predestined our little family and we are walking in His plan even today.

No time to post pictures right now, but I PROMISE to post later.

BTW, Happy Birthday to My cousin Emily as well!

Family of the Month

Hey all! We are so excited to announce that we have been chosen Our Great City's Keller Family of the Month for August. We had the fun experience of being interviewed and photographed and now featured on this community website. You can read all about our adventure here.

Movie Night with the Smiths

One of our favorite past times in our house is watching movies. We have recently become BIG fans of Family Video and we try to rent movies at least once a month. Jason and I have been doing this for many years and recently, I was asked by a friend who doesn't get the chance to watch movies a lot, how we fit all those movies in. Truth be told, for better or worse, movie night has become our date night in our house. Sure, we love to go out once in a while, but for many years, movie night at home was what we could afford. Jason makes the best microwave popcorn ever (!) and we curl up on the couch in the softest blanket in the world we call Guinevere. For that evening, we laugh, cry, disagree and share about the adventures we watch. These nights have become especially special to us since having Raylen. We don't often have a babysitter in the evenings to go out, but last night, my mom had asked Raylen to spend the night. We thought and thought about what to do and where to go....but after a very long and exhausting week, we came around to movie night again.

Jason brought home a few that we hadn't seen. One in particular was called Penelope. I had heard some buzz about this movie, but was a little unsure of what I would find with it because the story surrounds a young woman cursed with a pig nose. I know what you're thinking...silly and disturbing. It was quite the opposite. I LOVED it. I cannot wait for Raylen to be old enough to be interested in this type of movie. You will find that you can completely identify with Penelope and her pig nose and you will be encouraged by the time the credits roll.

While I'm talking movies, we watched Bella a few months ago. I HIGHLY recommend this movie. Run, don't walk to go get it. This movie changed my perception on life, affirmed many of my beliefs and brought our family closer together. You will not be sorry for watching.

A year....

Today marks the one year anniversary of Raylen's adoption. Last year at this time, we had already gone with our friends and family to see the judge and hear him proclaim that we were a true forever family. That day was magical to us and so emotional after the long journey of getting to that day. Since I didn't blog the, here are some photos of that day....what joy!!!!

Saturday Pottery

We are in Abilene this weekend visiting Jason's family who is celebrating Jason's cousin Crystal's wedding. Usually we spend Saturdays in Abilene hunting garage sales or frequenting local antique and thrift shops, but today, we found ourselves pressed for time and needing something to do. While Jason and his dad had their glasses fixed, Raylen, Jason's mom and I stumbled upon a paint your own pottery store. None of us have ever been to one of these stores, but quickly fell in love! For a flat rate you can pick out your own special piece, use all of the cool paints and tools and leave it for a week to have it fired. There was a special kid's play area with the coolest toys and they have drinks and snacks on hand too. The best part moms---THE PAINT WASHES OUT OF CLOTHING!!!! Yes, this is truly my new favorite place. I plan to visit the local store soon.